Latest developments for the NEA
Several important issues were deliberated at the 123rd session of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy on 27-28 October. The Committee approved funding to support Fukushima-related activities and discussed various aspects of the accident and its implications for NEA work in a policy debate. It also addressed the official request received from the Russian Federation on 24 October to join the NEA. It agreed to send a fact-finding mission to the Russian Federation to inform its decision on membership, which it expects to take at its next meeting in April 2012. If the Russian Federation is granted membership, it will be the second such country (after the Republic of Korea in 1993) to accede to the NEA prior to joining the OECD. Among other highlights from the meeting, the Committee approved NEA co-sponsorship of the new "Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources: International Basic Safety Standards", as adopted by the IAEA Board of Governors in September 2011 following several years of work on their revision.
New publicationsNuclear Energy Data 2011 Practices and Experience in Stakeholder Involvement for Post-nuclear Emergency Management |
 |
Nuclear safety and regulationActions taken by regulatory bodies following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident The NEA Nuclear Safety Division has created an online forum to collect and exchange information on activities undertaken nationally and internationally following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident. Information from regulatory authorities from 23 countries, along with 6 regional and international organisations is available on this page. This information includes national response activities, stress test reports as well as complementary activities and assessments to the stress tests. Also available on this page are links to important websites such as the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organisation (JNES), the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), the IAEA, and the European Clearinghouse on Operational Experience for NPPs. The forum is now accessible at www.oecd-nea.org/nsd/fukushima/. This page will be updated periodically as information becomes available. Countries are invited to submit information to the NEA. Contact details are available on the NEA website. 36th Halden Reactor Project meeting held in Norway The 36th Enlarged Halden Programme Group meeting was held in Sandefjord, Norway on 2-7 October 2011. About 300 participants from the 19 participating countries and invited experts reviewed activities in all the main areas of the project's work. Over 140 papers were presented during the meeting, including reports on joint programme results and results from participant-sponsored programmes. Papers on related work performed at the participants' own facilities were also presented. The Halden Reactor Project has been in operation for more than 50 years and is the largest NEA joint project. It brings together an important international technical network in the areas of nuclear fuel reliability, integrity of reactor internals, plant control/monitoring and human factors. For more information on this project, please visit the NEA website. |
 |
Nuclear developmentProgress towards ensuring a secure supply of medical radioisotopes On 14 October 2011, the NEA held the second meeting of its medical radioisotope Full-cost Working Group, jointly with the European Commission. The group had previously established an approach for identifying the full costs associated with producing medical radioisotopes. Participants at this meeting established a draft methodology for apportioning common costs for a research reactor producing molybdenum-99, including those related to infrastructure, operations, waste management and final disposal. A guidance document explaining the methodology is expected to be released by early 2012, allowing research reactors to start implementing full-cost recovery in an internationally consistent manner. Full-cost recovery is an essential element of the High-level Group on the Security of Supply of Medical Radioisotopes (HLG-MR) policy approach for ensuring a secure supply of medical radioisotopes. Find out more about the High-level Group on the Security of Supply of Medical Radioisotopes. |
|
Radioactive waste managementPreservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory across Generations (RK&M) Long-term preservation of records, knowledge and memory (RK&M) is a multidisciplinary work area in which much learning is expected over the coming years. Progress has been made in individual countries, but there is a need to internationalise research, compare approaches, test potential solutions and build shared references. This is the task of the RWMC's new RK&M initiative that will run from 2011 through 2014. On 11-13 October 2011, the NEA hosted a workshop on RK&M for representatives of waste management institutions and social scientists including philosophers, historians and archaeologists. Their work brought into focus the three related areas of archiving; markers and monuments; and heritage with the goal of keeping a human, cultural "story" alive behind waste management facilities. IGSC reviews recent research Approximately 40 safety case experts and group members attended the 13th annual meeting of the Integration Group for the Safety Case (IGSC) on 18-20 October. Participants reviewed ongoing IGSC activities and discussed new projects to further advance the development of safety cases for radioactive waste disposal repositories. The meeting also featured a topical session to review recent research activities and results on gas migration. National representatives reported on the status of various repository programmes as well as on the impact of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident on national energy policies. Members from regulatory bodies also discussed their position and views on safety case evaluation and assessment. The IGSC is currently planning its next symposium which will be held in 2013. More information on the IGSC annual meeting can be found on the NEA website. New working group on techniques for nuclear site restoration The Co-operative Programme for the Exchange of Scientific and Technical Information Concerning Nuclear Installations Decommissioning Projects (CPD) held its 30th meeting on 13-14 October 2011. The three most recent CPD reports (Twenty-five Years of Progress - The Last Five Years: 2006 through 2010, Decontamination and Dismantling of Radioactive Concrete Structures and Task Group on Remote Handling Techniques) have been issued as RWMC technical reports. Participants discussed the technical advisory group (TAG) annual review and the future programme of work. The proposal to launch a new TAG on the Review of Approaches and Techniques for Nuclear Site Restoration was approved. The CPD currently manages 59 projects in 12 countries. |
 |
Nuclear lawNew programme launched: International Nuclear Law Essentials On 3-7 October, NEA Legal Affairs hosted the first session of its new programme: International Nuclear Law Essentials (INLE). Some 35 participants from 19 countries participated in this one-week, comprehensive course in international nuclear law. Built on the success of the International School of Nuclear Law (ISNL), the INLE has been designed for professionals with a busy schedule. Lectures were delivered by renowned specialists in nuclear law from international organisations, governments and the nuclear industry as well as by other experts in the nuclear field. |
 |
Nuclear scienceNew reports by the Working Party on International Nuclear Data Evaluation Co-operation The NEA Working Party on International Nuclear Data Evaluation Co-operation (WPEC) provides a worldwide framework for co-operative activities among major nuclear data evaluation projects. WPEC Subgroup 29 was established to investigate calculated-over-experiment ratio (C/E) discrepancies in fast uranium-core integral parameters observed with all major evaluated libraries. Its final report reviews the capture cross-section of uranium-235 (235U) and describes sensitivity analyses performed to better understand the influence of other nuclear data on these integral parameters. Members of Subgroup 29 concluded that there has been a possible overestimation of the 235U capture cross-section in the 0.1-2.5 kiloelectron volt (keV) energy range and provided recommendations for future work. This report and more information on the WPEC are available on the NEA website. Uranium-235 Capture Cross-section in the keV to MeV Energy Region |
 |
JANIS 3.3 launched
The NEA has released a new version of the Java-based nuclear information software (JANIS). JANIS is a display program that facilitates access to bibliographical, experimental and evaluated nuclear data. It offers powerful capabilities to display, compare and compute various types of nuclear data (cross-sections, spectra, radioactive decay data and fission yields). JANIS 3.3 implements new features such as searches over ranges of nuclide Z and A numbers; the possibility to save plots in PDF format; display of the radioactive nuclide production index from the ENDF File 8; display of neutron and proton drip lines and automatic detection of the file format to open or import. It also includes improvements in ergonomy, memory usage and plot aspects. The new version is available on the JANIS web page: www.oecd-nea.org/janis.
Computer program services
New computer programs available
27-OCT-11 |
REFIT, Multilevel Resonance Parameter Least Square Fit of Neutron Transmission, Capture, Fission & Self Indication Data (Tested) |
|
27-OCT-11 |
FSKY4C, Gamma Ray Skyshine Analysis Code (Tested) |
|
26-OCT-11 |
GEF, code for simulation of nuclear fission process (Arrived) |
|
13-OCT-11 |
ZZ POINT-2009, a Temperature Dependent ENDF/B-VII.0 Cross Section Library (Tested) |
|
13-OCT-11 |
SCAT-2, Cross Sections and Angular Distributions for Spherical Nuclei by Optical Model |
|
13-OCT-11 |
VENTEASY, Criticality search for a desired Keffective by adjusting dimensions, nuclide concentrations, or buckling (Tested) |
|
13-OCT-11 |
ZZ POINT2011, linearly interpolable ENDF/B-VII.1 Beta2 cross section library for 13 temperatures (Tested) |
|
12-OCT-11 |
IFPE/SUPER-RAMP, PCI Failure Threshold for PWR and BWR Fuels (Arrived) |
|
12-OCT-11 |
IFPE/KOLA-3-MIR-RAMP, KOLA-3 MIR test temperature during ramp, FGR and pressure at EOL, Bu up to 55 MWd/kgUO2 (Arrived) |
|
12-OCT-11 |
IFPE/IFA-650.1 & .2, LOCA testing at Halden, Two experiments, IFA-650 series (Arrived) |
|
12-OCT-11 |
IFPE/IFA-629.1, The Re-irradiation of MIMAS-MOX Fuel in IFA-629.1 (Arrived) |
|
12-OCT-11 |
IFPE/IFA-519.9, Three PWR rods irradiated to 90 MWd/kg UO2 (Arrived) |
|
12-OCT-11 |
IFPE/BN-MOX-M510/D10, Belgonucleaire Beznau-1 PWR irradiated MOX Fuel Rod M510/D10 (Arrived) |
|
06-OCT-11 |
ZZ PIXE2010, Proton/alpha ionization (K,L,M shell) tabulated cross section library (Arrived) |
The monthly bulletin only lists new and updated material. It is distributed by e-mail to registered users of the Nuclear Energy Agency's Online Services. An online archive of previous editions is available here. |
